Explosives company says Lyndonville is ‘perfect’ for fireworks

Photos by Tom Rivers

LYNDONVILLE – Young Explosives has a crew in Lyndonville today setting up for tonight’s fireworks show at 10 p.m.. The group of six will spend several hours getting the fireworks set up for the show.

The crew will vary the pace for releasing the fireworks, mixing low-lying colorful ones with high flyers and big booms.

Stan Powers holds a 12-inch shell. Young Explosives will send two of these 1,000 feet into the sky tonight for the first time in Lyndonville. The shells weigh about 40 pounds. They have a wing span of about 400 to 500 feet and will burst into four or five different colors.

Powers does about 40 shows with Young Explosives each year. Lyndonville ranks among his favorites, Powers said this afternoon.

There is a very enthusiastic crowd and an ideal location. Plus the community raises a lot of money for a big show.

“Lyndonville is the perfect location,” Powers said.

The crew gets fireworks ready for tonight’s show. This group will be used for the finale.

Powers likes the nicely mowed lawn to set up. The crowd also gathers on an open field up on a hill with no houses nearby in three directions. Powers does some shows where the crew is limited to straight up high fireworks because houses are close by. Sometimes, the fireworks crew can’t see the crowd.

At Lyndonville, the crowd is visible and they often cheer wildly during the 38-minute fireworks show.

Powers said only the City of Rochester spends more than Lyndonville for the show, and Young Explosives of Canandaigua does about 100 shows over the July 4th weekend.

Lyndonville is a special place for the crew because of the community appreciation and the chance for the crew to be creative, sending fireworks sideways and at varying heights.

Stan Powers lights a firework at 2 p.m. today. Young Explosives set one off at the top of each hour beginning at noon to build enthusiasm for tonight’s show.

Powers and the crew are wearing shirts about Lyndonville with an image of fireworks reflected in the water at the Lyndonville Dam. They made the shirts because they enjoy the community and they wanted to give some as gifts to Wes Bradley and other Lyndonville Lions Club members.

Bradley serves as the fireworks coordinator in Lyndonville, and tries hard to raise the money for the big show.

Powers said Bradley also brings the crew water and a chicken barbecue, and stays after the show to help them clean up.

“He is really an awesome guy,” Powers said.

The crew will lift and set up about 1,000 fireworks, a process that takes several hours.

“It’s a lot of work but you get your 30 minutes of glory,” Powers said. “When you’re done, you can hear everyone cheering.”